Fuji WEC: Toyota locks out front row in qualifying

Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima set an average time of 1m25.013s to score pole in the #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, almost eight tenths faster than their counterparts in the #7 car, Jose Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi managed.

Nakajima set the fastest time of the session, a 1m24.822s, which Hartley followed with a 1m25.205s. 

Lopez set a 1m25.639s on the opening runs before Kobayashi posted a 1m25.125s to leave them four tenths behind the sister car on aggregate.

But the Japanese driver lost his initial time to a track limits infringement and after that could only a manage a 1m25.968s give them a 1m25.803s average. 

Rebellion ended up as best of the rest, with Gustavo Menezes and Norman Nato ending up 0.876s adrift on average times in the #1 R-13.

Ginetta's #5 entry was fourth, while the #6 car failed to set an average time after a spin for Charlie Robertson which brought out the red flags with three minutes to go.

LMP2 honours went to Ho-Pin Tung and Gabriel Aubry in the JOTA Sport-run Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07.

The United Autosports pairing of Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson jumped to second after Albuquerque went out for a second run after the red flag - pushing the the JOTA Sport Oreca shared by Anthony Davidson and Roberto Gonzalez down to third.

Nyck de Vries set the fastest time in the class aboard the TDS-run Racing Team Nederland Oreca which ended up seventh after Frits van Eerd's run. 

GTE: Porsche beats Ferrari to pole

Porsche stole position in GTE Pro right at the end of the first qualifying period. 

Gianmaria Bruni had been third-fastest in the #91 Porsche 911 RSR after the first runs on a 1m37.350s, before teammate Richard Lietz jumped to the top of the times in the second runs.

The Austrian found six tenths on his second lap to bring the #91 Porsche's average down to 1m37.356s and claim the pole. 

The Porsche just edged out the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, which ended up with a time of 1m37.397s.

Pier Guidi's 1m37.292s put him second to Nicki Thiim's Aston Martin initially and James Calado looked to have done enough to secure the pole with a 1m37.503s after losing his first lap to a track limits violation. 

Thiim's 1m37.178s, the fastest GTE Pro of the session, was followed by a 1m37.723s from Marco Sorensen, which gave them third place with a 1m37.466s average. 

Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina took fourth spot in the second Ferrari with a 1m37.792s average., while Porsche pair Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen brought up the rear in GTE Pro behind the Aston of Maxime Martin and Alex Lynn. 

Estre was slowest after the first runs and then Christensen spun on his first quick lap, the rear of the car sustaining minor damage. 

GTE Am honours went to the Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR shared by Felipe Fraga and Ben Keating. Fraga was third after the first runs before driver Keating was quickest on the second runs to put the car on the class pole.

Their 1m38.733s average just edged out the TF Sport Aston Martin, which Jonny Adam and Salih Yoluc qualified with a 1m38.821s average.

Session results:

Cla	Drivers	Car	Class	Time	Gap
1	Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima Brendon Hartley	Toyota TS050 Hybrid	LMP1	1'25.013
2	Mike Conway Kamui Kobayashi Jose Maria Lopez	Toyota TS050 Hybrid	LMP1	1'25.803	0.790
3	Bruno Senna Gustavo Menezes Norman Nato	Rebellion R13	LMP1	1'26.163	1.150
4	Luca Ghiotto Ben Hanley Egor Orudzhev	Ginetta G60-LT-P1	LMP1	1'26.820	1.807
5	Ho-Pin Tung Gabriel Aubry Will Stevens	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'29.302	4.289
6	Philip Hanson Filipe Albuquerque Oliver Jarvis	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'29.787	4.774
7	Roberto Gonzalez Antonio Felix da Costa Anthony Davidson	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'29.792	4.779
8	Mark Patterson Kenta Yamashita Anders Fjordbach	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'30.073	5.060
9	Nicolas Lapierre Antonin Borga Alexandre Coigny	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'30.087	5.074
10	Thomas Laurent Andre Negrao Pierre Ragues	Alpine A470	LMP2	1'30.858	5.845
11	Frits van Eerd Giedo van der Garde Nyck de Vries	Oreca 07	LMP2	1'30.935	5.922
12	Roberto Lacorte Andrea Belicchi Giorgio Sernagiotto	Dallara P217	LMP2	1'31.342	6.329
13	Gianmaria Bruni Richard Lietz	Porsche 911 RSR - 19	LMGTE PRO	1'37.356	12.343
14	James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE PRO	1'37.397	12.384
15	Marco Sorensen Nicki Thiim	Aston Martin Vantage AMR	LMGTE PRO	1'37.466	12.453
16	Davide Rigon Miguel Molina	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE PRO	1'37.792	12.779
17	Alex Lynn Maxime Martin	Aston Martin Vantage AMR	LMGTE PRO	1'37.820	12.807
18	Michael Christensen Kevin Estre	Porsche 911 RSR - 19	LMGTE PRO	1'37.935	12.922
19	Ben Keating Felipe Fraga Jeroen Bleekemolen	Porsche 911 RSR	LMGTE AM	1'38.733	13.720
20	Salih Yoluc Charles Eastwood Jonathan Adam	Aston Martin Vantage AMR	LMGTE AM	1'38.821	13.808
21	François Perrodo Emmanuel Collard Nicklas Nielsen	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE AM	1'38.850	13.837
22	Paul Dalla Lana Darren Turner Ross Gunn	Aston Martin Vantage AMR	LMGTE AM	1'38.917	13.904
23	Egidio Perfetti David Heinemeier Hansson Matteo Cairoli	Porsche 911 RSR	LMGTE AM	1'39.022	14.009
24	Satoshi Hoshino Adrien de Leener Thomas Preining	Porsche 911 RSR	LMGTE AM	1'39.025	14.012
25	Thomas Flohr Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE AM	1'39.291	14.278
26	Christian Ried Riccardo Pera Matt Campbell	Porsche 911 RSR	LMGTE AM	1'39.549	14.536
27	Michael Wainwright Andrew Watson Benjamin Barker	Porsche 911 RSR	LMGTE AM	1'39.610	14.597
28	Motoaki Ishikawa Olivier Beretta Kei Cozzolino	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE AM	1'39.628	14.615
29	Bonamy Grimes Johnny Mowlem Charles Hollings	Ferrari 488 GTE EVO	LMGTE AM	1'39.889	14.876
30	Charles Robertson Michael Simpson Guy Smith	Ginetta G60-LT-P1	LMP1	1'25.889	0.876
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